Three vie for two Billerica selectman seats

BILLERICA -- With less than two weeks until the town election, three candidates are stepping up their campaigns in the race for two Board of Selectmen seats.

There's incumbent Bob Correnti, the vice president of Random Inc., a local electro-mechanical-assembly manufacturer. Correnti is joined by incumbent Mike Rosa, who runs his own business, a machine shop.

Then there's challenger George Simolaris, who runs his own local handyman business called Painting By George and Dogs, and may be best known to residents for his ubiquitous painting van featuring a mural of his pug "Puggy" on the back.

His current campaign has attracted the attention of retired nine-term Billerica state Rep. Bill Greene, whose wife Julie works as Simolaris' campaign manager.

No matter whether he wants it, Simolaris's political legacy will always remain tied at the hip with what happened last fall on the Town Common.

As a Town Meeting member, he voted against the $14 million proposal to redesign traffic flow as well as the look and feel of the town center. Town Meeting voted in favor of the proposal but Simolaris then spearheaded a grass-roots effort to force a townwide referendum. His effort drew 40 percent of registered voters to the polls as the redesign proposal suffered a resounding defeat.

But it's not his first election attempt. In 2010, he waged a write-in campaign for state representative after missing a nomination paper deadline. He's said the loss taught him to read the fine print.

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Simolaris has also heard criticism from some friends, whose names he won't disclose, about how he must "dress the part" of a politician. Others have hinted it might be wise to leave the winter hat at home when standing on the Common holding campaign signs.

"I'm holding signs on the Common and it's cold out," said Simolaris. "Of course I'm going to wear the stocking cap."

The message Simolaris said he's trying to get across to voters is that he's true to himself.

He added, however, he will not be divisive. He talked about Thursday night's dinner at Billerica Access Television, where he bumped into old foe, Town Manager John Curran.

Curran has previously said Simolaris' campaign to convince voters to overturn the Town Common proposal "was based on lies."

"I told him if I happen to get elected I know I cannot do anything alone, so I'd be willing to work with him," said Simolaris.

It's also no secret in town that the incumbent Simolaris most wants to knock out is Correnti.

Correnti, who supported the Town Common project and has echoed Curran's claim that the fall referendum campaign was fueled by misinformation, is looking to add to his 12 years of service.

"Now is not the time for on-the-job training for someone," Correnti said Friday about Simolaris' bid for election.

He pointed to big-money items on the table, like building new schools. He said his time on the board has allowed him to fully understand the ins-and-outs of municipal finance, adding that one of his most notable strengths are follow-through and an attention to detail.

Correnti recalled last fall when construction crews were ripping out the old oil tanks at the now-rebuilt Parker Elementary School. There were 7,400 gallons of heating oil inside the tanks and Correnti said his work with Community Teamwork, Inc. helped connect the unused heating oil with more than 80 families who were eligible for assistance, most of whom reside in Billerica.

"It's those types of things that I love about getting involved," he said.

Rosa has been involved in town politics for decades, having first won election to the Board of Selectmen in 1998. Since then the Pinehurst resident has earned a reputation as an outspoken critic of wasteful spending. On Friday, Rosa emphatically called the Town Center project one such item.

"I was the only one on the board against it," he said.

Rosa recalled "receiving a lot of flak" for his conservative stance but added he was heartened by the overwhelming turnout from residents who voted against it.

"I feel like I represented what the voters wanted the entire time," he said.

He said his biggest priority is to get the most value out of every tax dollar. He talked about the 24-hour mailbox installed outside Town Hall, something he said was his idea.

"It only cost the price of a mailbox but it meant more to the people who could only do town business on off-hours," he said.

Rosa said if he wins re-election, he'll continue to "always look for newer and better ways to continue services."

A spokesman for Town Clerk Shirley Schult confirmed Friday that absentee ballots are available.

Education: BA, College of the Holy Cross; MBA, Northeastern University Graduate School of Business.

Family: Married with two daughters and one grandson.

Community Service: Vice chairman for the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, member of Habitat For Humanity's board of directors (representing Billerica), member of Community Teamwork's Board of Directors, director of the Billerica Holiday Festival.

"I'm proud of the reputation I have for being responsive to people's needs. If elected I will continue my effective and experienced leadership."

Community Service: Chairman of the Street Acceptance & Discontinuation Committee, chairman of the World War I and World War II Memorial Committee, vice chairman of the Billerica Housing Partnership Committee, member of the Friends of the Council on Aging Fundraising Committee.

"You always have to be looking for new ways to help people. I always look for the greatest value for the dollar."

Name: George Simolaris

Age: 55

Occupation: Small-business owner (Painting by George and Dog)

Education: A.S., Middlesex Community College, B.A., UMass-Lowell.

Family: Divorced, two children.

Community Service: Town Meeting member, former coach with the Billerica Hockey Association, former coach and manager with the Billerica Little League.

"I don't think Town Meeting speaks for a majority of the people. I want to try to change that and represent my neighbors as well as the strangers I don't yet know."

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